Population One, Act 17: A Barren Betrayal
by zoroark09
Summary: A story that takes an unexpected twist from the normal Pokemon games. Originally based on the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games,the beginning of the story starts off with the main character Erik living as a human. Critiques are requested.


**Project 1: A barren betrayal**

By ~zoroark09

"That's enough drama, please." 'Z' eagerly bellowed at me and Jeff. "Remember, we've got to keep going!"  
>My heart almost jumped out of my throat when he brought up the thought...<br>Giratina.  
>"We were talking..." Began the abnormally colored Shaymin. "I can easily sense Pokémon's intentions, good or bad, but I'm afraid I can't get any kind of reading from her."<br>"U-Unreadable?" Unexpectedly, I was surprised.  
>"She's just so..." She hesitated with that one peculiar word.<br>"EVIL!"  
>"Um..." Jeff was considered to be out of the loop, and was utterly concerned for my well-being, as well as the situation at hand. But at the same time, he kept his guard up high as he carefully scanned the other Zoroark, 'Z'<br>"What? So it's true?" Jeff somewhat failed to make an acceptable first impression to the party, however small.  
>"And you are?" 'Z' asked Jeff elegantly, tipping his barely noticeable top hat, revealing the blue streak at the apex of his hair. Jeff was absolutely mesmerized by 'Z''s loyalty to even a complete stranger.<br>"I-I'm- wait. Can I trust you?" Asked Jeff, whose fur was still held upwards.  
>"But of course!" Me and 'I' burst out in a non-malicious tone of voice.<br>Jeff." I myself called out to him from a distance, coming closer.  
>"He's the one who saved my life.-"<br>"From Giratina?" He interrupted me. However, he was correct.  
>"Hello?" 'Z' cleared his throat in an unpleasant sounding way to get mine and Jeff's attention. We can kiss and make up later, AFTER we get out of here, because you know I won't save your ass again."<p>

The oh-so familiar screech from before suddenly emanated through the dead, endless plain. It was so sudden... And what followed? Giratina's material being.  
>"I've been looking for you, deary..." This time around, Giratina, a name that was never meant to be spoken, was in a wretched state. She was maliciously decorated with more than plenty shadow covered wounds on her levitating body.<br>"Gir-" The Zoroark shrouded in mystery had his pronunciation cut off by his partner 'I', who indecisively used a devastating grass-type move to succumb him into restraint.  
>'Z'...<br>"Let me GO, 'I'!" His fists were being coiled and pulled back behind him. "Nngh AH! GIRATINA, YOU BITCH!"  
>Was he on my side?<br>I observed his actions but for only a few amount of seconds.  
>"LET ME GO, 'I"! He continued his demand for freedom. "GOD DAMMIT!"<p>

As 'Z' struggled and 'I' concentrated, both growing exhausted as time seemed to pass, Giratina said nothing; No actions were executed for a while.  
>She eyed me and Jeff quietly...<br>"I need something from you, Castagnier."  
>"LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS! I WON'T let you KILL HIM!" No offense to Jeff, but he wouldn't survive a single attack from Giratina with his lithe body, however strong.<br>"HURRY IT UP, JEFF!" 'I' called out to Jeff for some reason, but I didn't look to see how he reacted.  
>I was too focused, too absorbed into Giratina's deadly glare. What was noticeable to me was that 'Z' seemed to be losing consciousness from the seeping poison released by the gargantuous grass-type move: Frenzy plant. "You don't mean..."<br>"ERIK!" Jeff was never the type of (Pokémon) to call my name at a loud altitude, but because of pure concern for the second to last of our bloodline, I unsheathed my claws and quickly turned in his direction, desiring to kill any malicious forces. Giratina suddenly vanished with a warning.  
>"Do not succumb..." Whatever that meant, it was more than likely a method to toy with my mind.<br>"Jeff..." I approached him slowly, carefully observing him. He had somewhat of a different aura emanating from him that didn't take any skill to really understand.

"You're too slow, Castagnier." Stated Giratina's voice as I continued to try and shield Jeff, who seemed to be suffering from something. Maybe.  
>"I'll give you whatever you want, Ju-" Upon stating those words, I was instantly taken advantage of by allowing myself to be at a vulnerable state. In other words, I was attacked by an electric bullet, or so it seemed. It hit hard.<br>"NghRAAAH!" Brought to my feet for only a moment, I utilized my recently mastered reflexes and swiftly turned toward the source of the attack.  
>"Damn... What...? JEFF?"<p>

...And I saw Jeff, and no one else...  
>To the side, I could hear the thrashing of heavy vines, almost as if whipping.<br>"Master 'Z'! Are you alright?" Called 'I' directed toward her 'master'. He had been released from his restraints and landed on all-fours.  
>"I know, just HANG ON!" They dissipated quickly, from nothingness.<p>

Jeff was my main priority after 'Z' and 'I' fled; he was still discharging electricity at a low amount.  
>Yet, now he was the only other living thing here...<br>He, my own brother, was the attacker... But why?  
>"ARE YOU CRAZY? I'M NOT THE ONE WITH THE HAT!" Paralysis finally free me from the inability to cuss Jeff's ass off, which obviously wouldn't happen under normal circumstances.<br>"What's wrong, bro?" That was all he said as he hid a small, but noticeable smirk on his mouth. Finding the right words took no skill, because Jeff vanished in the same fashion as Giratina.  
>But by the time I could blame the cause, the reason had already left me.<br>"'Z'..." I sighed as I muttered to myself, realizing what 'Z' had done.  
>"So, all of a sudden he's NOT on my side...if he was at all?" I was yelling out loud, and all out of anger too! I lowered my head. "But...he couldn't..." My injuries quickly began to heal.<p>

"He didn't, oh Chosen one, Erik."  
>Because I was frustrated, I acted upon my now familiar instincts and rubbed my claws together, creating friction and heat upon them.<br>"Is this really happening?"  
>I still looked down to the very spot where 'Jeff' once hid behind me, and I glared my eyes to a rear view without moving my neck even an inch.<br>"Turn around, Erik. It's us."  
>"No need to worry..."<br>Soon after the ominously intensified greeting, the second unknown one quickly dashed toward me at the speed of a bullet, maybe faster, but I refused to panic.

In the swiftest of movements, I grasped the attackers reached arm and twisted it in my grip with my heated claws.  
>"OUT OF MY WAY!" Exerting minimal energy into the attack, leverage was now in my favor as I grasped the light body to my chest and rotated, leaving him or her to soon fall to the ground. Afterward, I Force palmed the evil being to the ground.<br>After the smoke cleared, vision was granted.  
>"What? N-NOVA? It was real; the Pokémon who I assumed was evil was actually the charming girl I met as a human. But she was also in a different form, of course.<br>But there was no time for me to let my guard down, open to another attack She was unconscious after I realized her identity, but there was still another figure looming in the distance... There was practically no time to apologize.  
>"Erik...?" But it didn't seem like it was looking to cause death and disaster. But still...<br>"Erik... Oh, my boy ERIK! It's REALLY YOU!" To this type of greeting, I was a bit curious, and as a result, I turned around to, again, see nothing.  
>"What?" I anticipated what would happen next. Fear was growing at an intense rate.<br>"Jerrix?" When I pronounced my father's name, a sudden shape began to materialize at the edge of my sight, at the corner of my eye.  
>"YOU'LL PAY, ERTIK!"<p>

An ambush... How low. The 'other' attacked me from the back, and momentum quickly built up. But as it was gained, I landed on all-fours after I recovered from the cheap, brutal attack that sent me flying like a jet.  
>"Pretty cheap, I would say!" Adrenaline was now fueling my urge to kill.<br>Nova awoke and was too weak to even move, it seemed.  
>"Erik... Wa-" Her wounds suddenly flooded with blood, some of which were from before.<br>Glancing back at Nova, I vaguely saw a movement of her head, as if she was crying.  
>"Hmhmhm..." The attacker teased me with humor.<br>"Who are you?" I barked. "WHO ARE YOU and WHAT have you DONE WITH EVERYONE!  
>I started to close in on the female figure; it was a quadroped, shining dimly with red and yellow stripes on its body, easily identifyable by the bright green scarf coiled around her neck.<p>

"Unbelievable! You STILL don't understand?"  
>I listened to her preparing an attack if needed.<br>"I mean, I find it quite ironic for a mother to need to kill her own son, although I don't know about you..."  
>"SH-SHUT UP YOU MONSTER...Guhh...Ahuhh..."<br>Weak physically, Nova's spirit was strong as she dared speak to the quadroped drenched in shadows. By now, I knew what Pokémon Nova had been transformed into.  
>A Latias.<p>

I used to be fascinated with this Pokémon, but she was an abnormal. Normally, Latias's are red and possess yellow, golden eyes. But unlike a normal Latias, and like 'I', she was of a different coloring. Her body was white and yellow, and her eyes sparkled in a deep, violet color. However, the triangle at her chest was as black as ever.  
>"Hm. Would you excuse me for a moment?"<br>I tensed myself up for a physical attack, but the coming attack was one that did not even require contact.  
>"Stay IMPRISONED!"<br>I froze and Nova gasped, and I could still hear the maniacal laughing.  
>"No. .No, PLEASE Don't kill- GUAAHHH!" Once again, Nova was in complete misery from her wounds, and I felt extremely guilty because I injured her very badly.<br>"Nova..." My words... A damned barrier with no escape!  
>"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU BITCH!" The shadowy figure approached Nova's helpless body while pulling out a device that5 was currently unidentifiable from my view. I ponded, hacked and slashed at the physical prison with all the strength I could muster, but it was really no use. I continued as speech was imminent.<br>"So, you're offering me the pleasure of taking YOUR life, AND letting me chase down little Erik some more? Nova's tears escaped her face as she jerked her head to her right, flinching.  
>"How thoughtful of you, my dear! I should reward you!" Both Nova and I knew what this meant... "In hell, you will know me as 'Gizmo'..."<br>Upon relinquishing her name, a rather important piece of this deathly puzzle, she revealed her weapon at a clearer angle; it was some sort of whip with a chassis as the butt of the weapon.

None of my words were audible to all but myself. "PLEASE, STOOOOP!" Even I began to cry. The only emotions I knew had arrived:  
>Hatred and sadness, mostly.<p>

"QUIET, PUPPY!" Gizmo's evil red eyes glittered in a violent fashion as soon as I pleaded that this whole thing cease operation. My optimism refused to conclude, even in all vain.

This 'box' soon emitted an electrical energy flow on the inside that acted as physical chains to hinder the victim further, paralyzing them. Unfortunately, I* was the victim...  
>"Nnghh... Stop, please..." I was losing stamina quickly, but observing Gizmo's actions further, she jerked her head up, and then violently downward, weapon caught in her jaws.<br>The very air froze to ice right before the tip of the weapon struck Nova...  
>"ERIK! YOU'VE GOT TO LIVE ON!" ... ..<br>A gargantuous, crackling sound soon echoed throughout the thick, dead clouds that suddenly appeared, and I let my body die as I lowered my head without any words whatsoever.  
>And after I had the opportunity to send her a clear, facial message that said 'I'm going to kill you', Gizmo began to act in a cannibalistic manner towards Nova's body.<br>Gizmo knew that I could hear everything that took place here, and upon processing the corresponding emotions, which were extremely strong, by the way, I began to feel very light headed.

"Where is your God now, boy?"


End file.
